Sarah Ferguson on The Young Victoria

When I saw the credits for The Young Victoria, I just thought there was some producer who happened to be named Sarah Ferguson. Hey, there’s a singer with that name, so it must be common. No, it’s THE Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. She produced the film as a passion project, as she’s been a biographer of Queen Victoria for years.

Sarah Ferguson on The Young Victoria

“I think that Martin Scorsese, Graham [King] and the team have honored Victoria,” Ferguson said. “I have never been lost for words, as you can tell. I’m lost for words to describe whether I’m happy. It’s a sense of something extraordinary and when you’re on the pavement looking at the red double decker bus go by with Young Victoria poster of Emily Blunt, and I’m looking around, I can’t really say. I feel like, ‘Wow, I thought of that. That’s quite good.’ You have to take that moment so yes, it’s pretty great.”

To Ferguson, the story of Victoria’s early reign contains lessons that can apply to any young women today, let alone those who find themselves dealing with royal politics. “The message for young people is never give up on your dreams, to fight with courage for what you feel, with boldness, seize it. That’s Goethe, it’s very good. Anyway, but it’s such a sense of look, everyone is trying to point you in the direction that you must go. You must go to college, go to university, do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that. No, shh. Stop the noise. What do you want to do? How do you want to be? What makes you feel good? Victoria gives me that strength because I have to fight, as you know, with many different politics and keep fighting on, and always following your dream. The passion it’s taken to get this done is 15 years of making sure that I wanted it done. I wanted it, so one want is worth 10 reasons, right?”

The Young Victoria

Ferguson herself is still taking Victoria’s advice. “I asked somebody the other day, a very famous person, I said, ‘What would your best advice for a young person like me coming along – young 50 – coming along trying to get going in life?’ He turned around and said, ‘Never let anyone come in your way of what you want. Never. Your passion, your heart is more important than anything else. Be it, do it and seize it.’ So I did. But it’s very interesting that question because you can’t really describe someone like me, because I am purely about the heart. I go to the heart of every situation and I will go on. People say, ‘Perhaps you should have done it this way or that way.’ Perhaps, but I still go on. I suppose it’s red hair, or being Irish.”

There may be more Duchess productions in the future, thanks to Ferguson’s positive experience on The Young Victoria. “I don’t have the movie bug. I have the excitement of having a few good ideas about my next couple of ideas which I will put to treatment and put to Graham. He did say as we left the cinema yesterday, ‘Why don’t you come and see me next week with some more ideas?’”